Aluminum alloy powder for additive manufacturing, and method for manufacturing a piece by manufacturing from this powder

Abstract

An aluminum alloy powder for additive manufacturing, and method for manufacturing a piece by manufacturing from this powder are disclosed. In one aspect, the alloy powder is composition by weight: Al comp Si a Mg b Zr c R d wherein R represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ti, and wherein, in percent by weight: a is between 0.2% and 1%, b is between 0.3% and 1.7%, c is between 0.4% and 5%, and d is between 0% and 1%, wherein the balance consists of aluminum and unavoidable impurities.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An alloy powder having the following composition:
   Al comp Si a Mg b Zr c R d      wherein R represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ti,   wherein, in percent by weight:
 a is between 0.2% and 1%, 
 b is between 0.3% and 1.7%, 
 c is between 0.4% and 5%, 
 and d is between 0% and 1%, 
   wherein the balance consists of aluminum and impurities, and   wherein the zirconium content, in weight percent, is greater than 1%.   
     
     
         2 . The alloy powder according to  claim 1 , wherein the particle size is less than 150 μm. 
     
     
         3 . The alloy powder according to  claim 1 , wherein the particle size is between 1 μm and 100 μm. 
     
     
         4 . A method of manufacturing an alloy powder according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
 providing one or more precursor materials comprising aluminum, silicon, and magnesium,   providing at least one addition material comprising zirconium, and   combining the precursor materials and the addition material to form the alloy powder.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the precursor materials further comprise one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ti. 
     
     
         6 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 4 , wherein the precursor materials are provided in the form of at least one alloy precursor powder, the addition material is supplied in the form of a powder comprising zirconium, and the combining the precursor alloy materials and the addition material comprises a mechanical mixture of the alloy precursor powder and the powder comprising zirconium, so as to obtain an alloy powder having a particle having a size between 1 μm and 150 μm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 5 , wherein the precursor materials and the addition material are provided in the form of solids, while the combining the precursor materials and the addition material comprises grinding the solids. 
     
     
         8 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 4 , wherein the combining the precursor materials and the addition material comprises melting a mixture of the precursor materials and the addition material, and neutral gas atomization of the molten mixture so as to obtain powder particles with a particle size of less than 150 μm. 
     
     
         9 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 5 , wherein the alloy precursor powder is a powder of the alloy Al-6061. 
     
     
         10 . A method for manufacturing an aluminum alloy part by additive manufacturing comprising melting or sintering powder particles by means of a high energy density beam, wherein the powder is the alloy powder according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the high energy density beam comprising a high energy density laser beam. 
     
     
         12 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 9 , further comprising implementation, on the powder, of at least one additive manufacturing technique selected from a direct metal deposition technique, a selective laser melting technique, a selective laser sintering technique and an Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technique. 
     
     
         13 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 9 , comprising providing the alloy powder according to  claim 1 , and the implementation of the succession of steps (b) to (d) as follows:
 (b) heating, by means of the high energy density beam, a portion of the alloy powder,   (c) removing the high energy density beam from the alloy powder portion, and   (d) cooling the alloy powder portion at a cooling rate greater than or equal to 10 3 ° C./sec.   
     
     
         14 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 12 , further comprising, before step (b), a step (a) of depositing a layer of the alloy powder on a support, wherein the step (b) of heating the portion of the alloy powder comprises directing the high energy density beam onto a region of the deposited alloy powder layer forming the portion of alloy powder. 
     
     
         15 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 12 , wherein the cooling of the portion of the alloy powder occurs as a result of the step (c) of removal of the laser beam. 
     
     
         16 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 12 , wherein the steps (b) to (d) are implemented in a heated closed chamber or in a closed chamber under a protective atmosphere of an inert gas and wherein the mass percentage of oxygen in said atmosphere is less than 5000 ppm. 
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 15 , wherein the inert gas comprises argon. 
     
     
         18 . The method of manufacturing according to  claim 12 , wherein the providing the alloy powder comprises:
 providing one or more precursor materials comprising aluminum, silicon, and magnesium,   providing at least one addition material comprising zirconium, and   combining the precursor materials and the addition material to form the alloy powder.   
     
     
         19 . An aluminum alloy part obtained by a manufacturing method according to  claim 9 , wherein the alloy has the following composition:
   Al comp Si a Mg b Zr c R d      wherein R represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Mn, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ti,   wherein, in percent by weight:   a is between 0.2% and 1%,   b is between 0.3% and 1.7%,   c is between 0.4% and 5%,   and d is between 0% and 1%,   wherein the balance consists of aluminum and impurities, and   wherein the alloy comprises a zirconium content, in weight percentage, greater than 1%.   
     
     
         20 . The aluminum alloy part according to  claim 18 , having an equiaxial grain structure, wherein the grains have an average size less than 50 μm.